Southeast

Former Montgomery, Ala., bond dealer Bill Blount has been moved to a halfway house to transition toward the end of his federal pay-to-play felony sentence for his role in the sale of bankrupt Jefferson County’s defaulted sewer warrants.

As the Southeast's economy slowly begins to thaw, measures on the Nov. 6 ballot reflect both fiscal conservatism and pent-up demand for education and transportation needs.

Several Virginia municipalities have retained legal counsel to fight Gov. Bob McDonnell's plan to toll Interstate 95, which commonwealth officials have said could help close a $10 billion funding gap over the next 25 years.

Chesapeake, Va.'s triple-B rated toll bridge deal last Wednesday saw investors chasing yield and oversubscribing the $151 million deal by more than 12 times.

After weighing which financing was least likely to provoke a third investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Miami chose a limited public offering to refinance a bank loan.

New Orleans will see a slight increase in general fund revenues to $491.4 million next year, but not enough to end a spending cut, Deputy Mayor Andy Kopplin said.

Uncertainty in the muni market is rising as Jefferson County, Ala., appeals a federal judge's decision upholding a portion of the bankruptcy code that has protected bondholders so far.

Voters in unincorporated Ascension Parish, La., will vote on a 0.5% sales tax that would support $80 million of revenue bonds for road improvements.

The Louisiana will sell $350 million of state road bonds at one time rather than spreading the deal into three tranches, on the advice of Treasurer John Kennedy.

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority's new chief executive, Keith T. Parker, signed a five-year contract with a base salary of $320,000 a year.